Printed circuit boards are used to mount and interconnect electronic components to form an electronic circuit. Printed circuit boards are available in many sizes and with varying degrees of complexity. Often, printed circuit boards are electrically and mechanically interconnected to couple power and signals between two printed circuit boards. Printed circuit boards may be electrically and mechanically interconnected by providing a first connector on a first printed circuit board and a second connector on a second printed circuit board. The first and second connectors may have mating features (e.g., plugs on one connector and sockets on the other connector) such that the two printed circuit boards are mechanically and electrically connected when the two connectors are mated. Such connectors add extra costs to the two printed circuit boards and must be precisely mounted to assure that the mating elements of the two connectors are properly aligned. The connectors also increase the size of the printed circuit boards by extending from the edges of the printed circuit boards or by extending above or below the surfaces of the printed circuit boards.
Jumper wires may be used as a less expensive alternative to mating connectors to interconnect two printed circuit boards. Each jumper wire may extend from a mounting pad on a first printed circuit board to a mounting pad on a second printed circuit board. The ends of the jumper wires are soldered to the mounting pads to provide the electrical connections between the two printed circuit boards. Although satisfactory for some applications, the jumper wires are difficult to install on printed circuit boards using automated technology. Furthermore, the flexible, small diameter jumper wires provide little, if any, mechanical interconnection integrity between two printed circuit boards that are positioned edge-to-edge. Additional mechanical interconnections between the two printed circuit boards may be required to maintain the two printed circuit boards in a fixed mechanical relationship.